Region 8
Planning and Outreach
Emergency Information
Regional 8 Preparedness Unit Information
- Home Page
- Contact Us
- Newsletter
- Area Contingency Plan (ACP)
- Continuous Release-Emergency Response Notification System (CR-ERNS)
- Emergency Response Notification System (ERNS)
- Oil/Facilities Response Plan (FRP)
- Planning and Outreach
- Region 8 Response Team Home Page
- Risk Management Plan (RMP)
- Oil/Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC)
- Free Training
- SERC/LEPC
- Training & Exercise Schedule
National Information
The Planning and Outreach Coordination position is a unique blend of duties that includes responsibilities that fall under EPA’s Office of Homeland Security (OHS), the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) which mandates that EPA prepare Area Contingency Plans (ACPs) to address:
- the discharge or threats of discharge of oil into or upon navigable waters of the United States and adjoining shorelines or which may affect natural resources belonging to, appertaining to, or under the exclusive management authority of the United States;
- releases or substantial threats of release of hazardous substances into the environment; and
- releases or substantial threats of release of pollutants or contaminants that may present an imminent and substantial danger to public health or welfare.
OHS
The Planning and Outreach Coordinator represents Region 8 on the National Outreach Workgroup whose goal is to develop a framework for outreach to states and other federal agencies that is consistent with EPA’s and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) overall emergency planning strategy.
OHS/EPCRA
The Planning and Outreach Coordinator works with the Region 8 State Emergency Response Committees (SERCs) to ascertain how they function, what each state’s greatest emergency response threats may be, how their LEPC are organized, and where EPA resources can complement any state or local response. This information is obtained from each SERC through personal meetings and the use of a basic operations template.
OHS/EPCRA/OPA/ACP
The Planning and Outreach Coordinator reads and is an expert in EPA Region 8's nine designated sub-Area Contingency Plans (ACPs). They work in coordination with Region 8 On Scene Coordinator, ACP, and EPCRA leads to meet with state SERCs and obtain a calendar of their emergency response activities, including, but not limited to exercise activities. At the states' invitation, EPA may participate in exercise activities. The Planning and Outreach Coordinator discovers how and why the ACPs were developed and if the existing ACPs are adequate to fulfill the states current or perceived emergency response needs. In doing so, the coordinator finds out if the states have any plans to change or update their ACPs and works with SERCs to include EPA contacts and resources in ACPs.